2008 Clovis Details

[rainbowgirl28]

Schedule of Events:
Thursday, July 31st: 
2:00 p.m. Press Conference, Dog House Grill, Shaw at Chestnut
9:00 - 11:00 p.m. Bowling Tournament for Athletes, Officials & Sponsors at Rodeo Lanes,Shaw and Minnewawa, Clovis

Friday, August 1st:
5:30 - 9:00 p.m.    14th Annual  North American Pole Vault Championships. Old Town Clovis, 4th & Polaski Streets.
9:30 - Midnight: Awards Bar-B-Que at The Dog House Grill.

Housing:
University Inn, 2655 E. Shaw Avenue, Fresno 93710 559/294-0224

Title Sponsor: UCS Spirit.

[Vault Chick]

Oh my gosh Becca....thanks so much for the info...i was wondering like crazy what was going on with this! Thanks Girl! U gonna be there?

[bjvando]

Is Bob Fraley still the man in charge for this?

[newvaulter]

Becca, do you know who to get in touch with to enter?

Thanks!
-newvaulter

[rainbowgirl28]

Coach Fraley is still the man as always.

[Vault Chick]

Can't wait for this Friday!!! Anybody have a list of the people competing???

[rainbowgirl28]

Can't wait for this Friday!!! Anybody have a list of the people competing???

I was supposed to get one last night... I'll post it when I get it!

[Vault Chick]

Alright, cool...Thanks!!! Will I see u there on Friday Becca? Yeah, I tried emailing Fraley about the ticket thing, but he never emailed back...oh well, i'll see what happens when i get there! lol

[rainbowgirl28]

Alright, cool...Thanks!!! Will I see u there on Friday Becca? Yeah, I tried emailing Fraley about the ticket thing, but he never emailed back...oh well, i'll see what happens when i get there! lol

Nope, I have my last grad school class on Saturday so I can't make it.

I know Fraley got your email because he asked me who you were, so just talk to him after the meet or something.

[Vault Chick]

Alright, cool...Thanks!!! Will I see u there on Friday Becca? Yeah, I tried emailing Fraley about the ticket thing, but he never emailed back...oh well, i'll see what happens when i get there! lol

Nope, I have my last grad school class on Saturday so I can't make it.

I know Fraley got your email because he asked me who you were, so just talk to him after the meet or something.

Oh my gosh, thank you sooo much! i was wondering what was going on...alright, well, i'll miss seeing u then at Clovis! Good luck with ur class though!

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/story/768354.html

Elite jumpers on display at 'Pole-apalooza'
By Ken Robison / The Fresno Bee
07/31/08 23:00:04

Bob Fraley's been doing street vaults for 15 years, so you could imagine him being a bit jaded by the time this year's North American Pole Vaulting Championships rolled around.

Au contraire.

Fraley was at his usual spot in front of the microphone Thursday, presiding over a news conference for this year's Clovis street vault, which begins at 5:30 p.m. today amid the bustle of the downtown farmer's market.
It's for the fans, Fraley exhorted his vaulters, sounding as much like a preacher as a track and field impresario. In fact, for the past decade or so he's been both, touting the gospel of pole vault as an entertainment medium from New Orleans to Reno.

His ministry is paying off, as cities and towns across America -- and overseas -- are staging street vaults such as the one Tye Harvey staged during the Stockton Asparagus Festival in April.

Harvey is one of six elite jumpers for tonight's "Pole-apalooza" event that Fraley has staged on Pollasky Avenue since 1995 -- and one of the favorites, with a personal best of 19-51/4.

Also in the field are Olympians Giovanni Lanaro and Leila Ben-Youssef and old-timers Steve Hardison and Kay Glynn. Chelsea Johnson, ranked No. 2 in the U.S. this year, and two-time NCAA champion Tracy O'Hara are favorites among the women.

They'll all be sprinting the runway to loud music and cheers from the crowd that gathers around the pit. The louder the better, according to the Gospel of Fraley: When your sport gets to the point that normal conversations are drowned out, you know it's arrived.

Here's a look at a few members of tonight's cast:

*Leila Ben-Youssef leaves Tuesday for the Olympic Games in Beijing, where she will vault for the Tunisia, her father's home country. Ben-Youssef grew up in Montana, competed for Stanford and now teaches human biology there. Goal: A personal best (it's now 14-11/4) at the Olympics.

*Giovanni Lanaro will arrive in Beijing as a member of the Mexican Olympic team for the second time. The Southern Californian has the sixth-best mark in the U.S. this year, and believes he can do better than simply reaching the Olympic finals. Goal: To break the Clovis vault record of 18-10.

*Kay Glynn, a 55-year-old from Iowa, has been vaulting for just five years but already owns the 55-59 age group world record of 10-11/4. She practices in her backyard with the bar balanced between two trees. Goal: "Anything over the world record is good," she said, with an eye on 10.6.

*Steve Hardison, a 58-year-old Fresnan who vaulted at Fresno Pacific, said injuries have kept him from practicing the past couple of years but he has big plans for tonight. Goal: Break the 55-59 world record of 14-1.

The North American Pole Vaulting Championships is free to the public. It is staged on Pollasky Avenue in Old Town Clovis.

The elite vaulters are expected to begin after the opening ceremonies at 6:30 p.m.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/story/770365.html

Street dreams fulfilled for pole vaulters
Clovis' annual pole-vaulting event continues to be a summer entertainment staple.
By Ken Robison / The Fresno Bee
08/01/08 23:15:21






Pole vaulter Tye Harvey understands the visual appeal of his sport.

"You've got fit, good-looking athletes," he begins. "Then there's the danger element and the X Games flair."

What better description of Friday's "Pole-apalooza" event in downtown Clovis, better known as the North American Pole Vaulting Championships.

It's an annual summer staple on the entertainment calendar of the San Joaquin Valley, and once again the street vault drew a few thousand spectators who crowded around the vault pit and runway on Pollasky Avenue.

Some came, as they have every year for more than a decade, to watch athletes soar higher than the second-floor balconies. Others came to buy peaches and corn at the Clovis farmer's market and stayed to watch the high-flying acrobatics.

Those who lasted until the end -- and there didn't seem to be many folks leaving early -- saw Giovanni Lanaro win the men's division by vaulting 17 feet, 6 inches, then miss on three attempts at 18 feet.

It was Lanaro's final test before he leaves Tuesday for Beijing to vault in the Olympic Games as part of the Mexican team. "I love the Clovis crowd," he gushed. Lanaro said he was here because he wanted to get in some jumps in front of an audience before he went to Beijing.

Former Florida All-American Brian DaCunha vaulted 17 feet to place second and Russell Weaver, a five-time Western Athletic Conference champion from Fresno State, was third at 16-6.

Becky Holliday, the 2004 NCAA champion from Oregon, won the women's division at 14-6. A pair of former NCAA champions from UCLA, Chelsea Johnson and Tracy O'Hara, finished second and third, respectively, in the women's division.